Camping for Dummies
by spazzyd
Summary: Cassie and her friends need SG1's help after their run into some trouble. S10 team, SJ, miniJack
1. It Was a Bad Idea

**Camping for Dummies, Part I**

Season: Ten

Gen, J/S, OC Pairing

Summary: Cassie, John, Nyan and Melissa try their hand at camping, but nothing goes as planned.

A/N: This is the sequel to "Painting and Dating for Dummies", so it's probably be best if you read that first.

* * *

"I knew this was a very bad idea," Cassie muttered under her breath as she tried to keep up with the guys' grueling pace through one of Colorado Springs' most popular forests.

They'd been hiking, with what seemed like 50 pounds of food and other junk on their backs, for two hours, and John had not shown one sign of knowing where he was going. Melissa had suggested earlier that they call the ranger's office while they still had cell phone service, but John – and Nyan, by association – would have nothing of it.

Her only consolation was that, with Melissa's help, she'd managed to convince them that fishing wasn't necessary in order to fully enjoy the whole camping experience. They could fish next time, she'd told them. Or never.

Cassie glanced up at the dark sky and shook her head: It was going to rain before they found the campsite. And their car was easily miles away. Great. Blowing a tuft of auburn hair out of her eyes in exasperation, Cassie huffed with disdain, "Men."

Melissa chuckled at her side and nudged her, saying, "Tell me about it. I thought I was supposed to be leading this hike to the campsite, anyway."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Cassie replied. "I think I might've accidentally challenged his manhood or something, when I asked him why he had the map. You know how he is."

"Ah." Melissa nodded and then turned contemplative. "He's definitely a bit of a conundrum, isn't he?"

Cassie looked to the taller woman and shrugged noncommittally. 'Conundrum' didn't even begin to describe John. "John's just… guarded."

"Guarded?" Melissa laughed at Cassie's choice of words. "That's definitely one way of putting it. Sometimes it's hard to read him; other times, he's like an open book." She glanced ahead at John as he angrily stomped through the brush. "But something tells me he has the capacity for immense vulnerability."

"He does," Cassie agreed. "I really think he does."

Melissa nodded and glanced away, effectively ending the conversation. For all of her own guardedness, Cassie saw through Melissa's wall of defense and observed a vast amount of self-doubt. They were perfect together, it seemed, though it was apparent that neither was willing to admit that yet.

As she glanced ahead at Nyan, who was quietly trying to placate John and his not-so-quiet grumblings, Cassie smiled. Perhaps Melissa and John weren't the only ones who needed to admit some things. The time spent with Sam and the guys the weekend before had really opened her eyes to what she'd been denying for a long time.

On cue, following that little epiphany, the clouds opened up, expelling large, cold drops of water, and drenching Cassie in places she didn't even know existed. Just as she'd predicted, this trip was quickly descending into Disaster Territory.

"OK, OK," John bellowed at Nyan, who took a cautionary step back and glanced at the ladies apologetically. John followed in suit and sighed, his eyes never meeting the girls' gazes. "I think we're officially lost."

Cassie clucked her teeth unconsciously – a habit she'd gotten from her mom – and Melissa grinned mischievously, before she fished in her pocket and retrieved her cell phone. "I've got the ranger's office on speed dial, along with a very handy GPS monitor!" she shouted. "What say we give them a call?"

* * *

The wet trees whipped by at a speed that would've been comical, had it not been for the fact that their sharp branches occasionally slapped one of the guys in the face every time there was a bend in the road. Even Cassie and Melissa, who were safely – and relatively dryly – sitting in the cab of the ranger's rundown truck (it was the only one left when they called) fell victim to the elements. With windows that wouldn't quite roll up and a heater that wouldn't stay on, they were nearly as miserable as the guys outside. 

"It's a mighty good thing you called me when you did," the ranger hollered over the rain for the third time in as many minutes. "You guys were way off track!"

He was a squirrelly fellow in his late forties who insisted they all call him Bo, and he'd driven at least five or six miles off of the designated hiking trail to find them. Off-roading, he'd explained, was strictly prohibited. However, they were willing to make exceptions during storms.

"Well, we really appreciate you coming out to get us in this weather!" Cassie cried back.

"Oh, don't mention it!" Bo returned. "This is what I signed up for, ya know? Came all the way from Arkansas for good, ol' Pike National Park."

Stifling a smile, Melissa nodded. "Oh, absolutely. You guys must see a lot of this then, right?"

Bo nodded and nearly put them on two wheels in order to stay on the track at such a high speed. From the back, John swore loudly. "Every season, we get at least one hot shot who's so busy trying to impress his girlfriend that he completely disregards the map." Bo glanced back at John's glowering form and smiled. "I take it he's the one responsible for your little misstep?"

"Actually - " Cassie began in agreement, but Melissa cut her off.

" – it was a group effort," she finished. "Cassie here kinda suggested that John lead without a map, and it all spiraled from there." Melissa shot Cassie a knowing look and shrugged.

"Hmmph." Cassie crossed her arms. So John wouldn't be the only one taking the fall this time.

When she glanced back at Bo, he was eyeing her suspiciously, before squealing, "You do know the value of a good map, don't ya?!"

Cassie swallowed and nodded vigorously. "I do now!"

"Good." Bo nodded, satisfied by her enthusiasm. The lodge could be seen up ahead. "You guys can rest up at the lodge tonight, and start out again – WITH A MAP – tomorrow morning. The storm should be clear by then, and the only thing you'll have to worry about is a little mud. Your car will be safe on the other side of the park."

Both women inwardly groaned at the prospects. There was no way they were going out there again. Not any time soon. Even Melissa, who was by all accounts a pro by Cassie's standards, looked positively opposed to the idea.

"Did he just suggest what I think he suggested?" John shouted through the cab window as Bo parked the truck in the gravel driveway and stepped out. The rain, for the moment, had stopped. "Why, in the name of all that is sacred and true, would we want to go out there again? Mud or no mud! He must've been joking!"

"I think he was serious," Nyan responded as he gingerly stepped down.

Hopping out of the truck with his pack and the towels Bo had given them in tow, John took off his plastic tarp and tried to shake the remaining droplets off like a wet dog. He hated, hated, HATED being wet. After eyeing Bo as he sauntered into the lodge, John turned back to the group. "Tell me you guys don't wanna go out again tomorrow. Please."

Melissa and Nyan shook their heads slowly as they, too, took off their tarps and dried off. He'd be getting no arguments from them.

"No way," Cassie supplied. "Besides, if we're lucky, the cavalry should be coming any minute now."

"Cavalry?" Nyan asked, his eyebrow raised to the sky a lá Teal'c. "What do you mean?"

Sharing a knowing grin with Melissa, who really didn't even know the half of it, Cassie merely shrugged. "Oh, nothing."

John rolled his eyes and grunted in annoyance as it clicked. "You didn't."

"I did," Cassie confirmed. "After Melissa called the ranger."

"Oh man!" John stepped back as if wounded. "Why?!"

Cassie frowned and put both hands on her hips, fed up with his eternally disgruntled behavior. He was acting like a big baby, and she was sick of it. "Because something told me that we'd need their help after you nearly led us right back to Denver. And, as it turns out, we do. The car's on the other side of the park, and we need a ride to some place dry. Sam's place is the obvious choice. She said she'd take us to pick up the car in the morning."

Having been lost up until that moment, Nyan's eyes grew impossibly wide at that revelation. "Sam? S-Sam's picking us up?" John grunted again in frustration. This day was just getting better and better.

Cassie smirked at the look of fear that graced his normally calm features. "Yes. Sam and Teal'c." Nyan seemed a bit calmer once he realized that Teal'c was coming. Cassie didn't fail to notice the irony that Nyan seemed to fear Sam more than Teal'c. At any rate, they were their only chance for a good night's rest, free of camping and rain and Bo from Arkansas.

Cassie leaned against the truck alongside Melissa, and for a few moments, the four of them descended into exhausted silence.

Suddenly, two headlights appeared over the small hill that led back to the city. At the same time, Bo and his buddies came out to check on their group. Cassie recognized the vehicle as Daniel's Durango – Sam must've borrowed it, considering her little Volvo wouldn't be able to fit them all comfortably.

As it approached, Bo's posse drew nearer defensively. They clearly weren't expecting anyone. However, as was expected, once the car stopped and they saw who was inside, they were all smiles and waves. Cassie and John rolled their eyes at the men's behavior.

Melissa glanced from Cassie to John to the car, and back again. "She must be charming them."

"Yeah, she does that a lot," John muttered as he casually walked up to the passenger side of the SUV and rapped on the window. It rolled down, and instead of being glared at by Teal'c's normally impassive form, John found himself face to face with a very un-Teal'c-like, petite woman, who seemed to have made herself quite comfortable snuggled against the seat.

"Hello!" she greeted loudly.

"Hello," he parroted, not sure how else to respond. So this was Vala. It was bad enough Carter was the one picking them up, but now she had The Rebel with her.

It was going to be a long night.

"Change of plans," Carter was explaining to Cassie and Melissa, as Nyan stood a considerable difference away. "Daniel let me borrow his car, so he and Murray took mine and went to grab some dinner. They're going to meet us at my place." She beamed at Cassie's disheveled appearance. "Nice timing, by the way."

Cassie grimaced and retorted, "I learned from the best," and then turned to Melissa. "Sam, this is Melissa. Melissa, Sam."

"Nice to meet you, Melissa!" Sam greeted and motioned to Vala. "Melissa, Cassie, this is Vala. Vala, I see you've already met John. And the guy over there who looks like he's going to break into a sprint is Nyan." Sam turned to Vala then and raised her eyebrows. "I told you about him."

"Yes, you did." Vala's eyes widened in acknowledgement. Yes, he definitely looked terrified of Sam. It made her wish that she'd been present for The Talk all the more.

"Hop in guys!" Sam ordered. "It looks like it's going to rain again, and traffic's gonna be a nightmare."

The group complied silently, with both Nyan and John's focus being solely on getting their bags in the back of the vehicle. Sam caught sight of Bo and waved him over. He and a shorter friend of his gladly returned to the car.

"What else can I do for you two lovely ladies?" Bo asked as he bowed his head.

Sam ignored his utter lameness and eyed his battered truck. "We really appreciate you finding them, Bo. Now, what do I owe you for the damage?"

Following her gaze, Bo turned to the truck and then stared back at her in amazement. "Oh, that? That's no problem! It happens all the time! The State'll take care of that next week."

"No, really," Sam insisted. "It looks like it took a bit of a beating. How about I write you a check - "

"No, ma'am," Bo interrupted. "I won't have nothing of any of that. Listen, you hurry on home before the storm starts again. Trust me, the truck will be more than taken care of by next Thursday."

"Alright." Sam sat back and put the car into gear. "Thanks again!"

"Yes, thank you!" Cassie and Melissa called in unison from the middle seats.

Sam bent forward as if to go, and then stopped suddenly. Slowly, she glanced back at the guys, who were both sulking in the very back, and narrowed her eyes. "Do you guys have anything to say to Bo?"

"Thank you," Nyan mumbled.

"Yeah, thank you," John added under his breath.

Sam smiled back at the rangers and nodded one final time before she pulled up to the edge of the clearing. In the rearview and side view mirrors, as she turned the car around to go back the way they came, the men could be seen – all four of them – waving enthusiastically.

"Boy," Vala noted after a bout of silence. "Those men must really love their jobs."

"Indeed," Sam replied distractedly as she glanced at the guys in the back.

Vala turned back to the girls as Sam cranked up the heater, and smiled. "I bet you guys can't wait to get showered and warm! And for dinner, I think Daniel and… Murray… are picking us up some Thai, though Daniel and Sam were thinking of - "

" – Italian," Sam finished as she pulled onto the highway.

"Italian!" Vala exclaimed. "I must say I was a bit torn, considering the Italian cuisine is most satisfying. Still, there's something about Thai that really hits the spot. You both like Thai, right? I'm not sure if Daniel was planning on getting a whole lot of pasta. Do you remember what he said, Sam?"

Sam shrugged, while Cassie and Melissa stared dumbly at the exuberant woman, and said, "I think they're going to get enough to feed everyone. There should be plenty of food. You know Cameron heard about our little impromptu shindig, so he's stopping by, too."

"Oh, great! It'll be a party." Vala lightly slapped Sam on the shoulder. "You certainly are becoming quite the hostess these days, you know."

Clearly taken aback by so much excitement, Melissa didn't know what to say. All she could do was sit there with her mouth slightly open, poised to speak, though she had no opportunity to get a word in edgewise. Cassie had no intentions of trying.

"So, Melissa," Sam began, "how'd you get mixed up with this motley crew?"

"Oh, John and I met in a philosophy class last year," Melissa explained. "And I actually met Cassie and Nyan a couple of weeks ago."

Vala turned around again and gaped. "You're the astrophysicist-slash-engineer!"

Melissa blinked and nodded, utterly confused. She had absolutely no idea how this woman could've known that.

"Yes, yes I am," she answered as she turned to Cassie. Cassie, however, had suddenly found the passing scenery to be quite enthralling.

"Daniel's told me all about you!" Vala explained.

Melissa laughed. "Uh… Who's Daniel?"

"Oh, brother," John moaned to Nyan. "You cannot be serious."

"Don't look at me," Nyan replied. "That's all Cassie."

"Me!" Cassie exclaimed. "I merely made a simple observation, and everyone happened to agree with me."

"OK, I'm totally lost here," Melissa announced.

Sam nodded and turned to Vala. "Yeah, me too. What's going on?"

Catching Cassie's warning glare, Vala merely shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing. They just…" She stopped, unsure of how to proceed.

"Vala?" Sam pressed, momentarily in shock. "Are you speechless?"

"A little bit," she admitted quickly, "yes."

Frowning, Sam returned her gaze to the road in resignation. If they weren't going to tell her what they were talking about, she wasn't going to force it.

"Hey Sam?" Cassie asked a while later. "Isn't Jack in town this weekend?"

Sam could feel Vala's eyes on her as she stared at the road, and shrugged to both herself and the knowing glance Vala was giving her. "Something came up yesterday, and since he was down here last weekend, it was kind of hard to justify another trip."

"Oh," Cassie said flatly. She recognized Sam's calm and almost dismissive tone for the façade that it was. Whether she admitted it or not, it was clear that Sam had gotten rather used to Jack's twice-monthly visits to Colorado Springs.

The thing was, Jack had been pretty scarce for about a year or so after his promotion. The trend continued until about five or six months ago, when he suddenly started coming back every other weekend. Cassie knew that Daniel, Teal'c and Sam were all happy to see him after such a long absence, even if they pretended like it didn't matter one way or another.

Vala turned around, having accepted Sam's silent decision to go no further with The Jack Discussion, and Cassie and Melissa inwardly flinched at her energy once more. "Have you met Cameron, Cassandra?"

"Uh…" Cassie thought about it. "Once or twice, I think."

"Yeah, you've met him, Cass," Sam agreed. "When you and Jenny came over a few months ago, and he dropped off some documents for me to sign."

Cassie rolled her eyes as the memories came back to her. "Oh yeah, I remember now. Jenny just would not shut up about how cute he was, how hot he was, how chiseled he was. Seriously, Sam, I'm just glad Jenny was out of town last weekend, because if she had seen Jack, Daniel and Teal'c, she probably wouldn't have survived the trauma."

The women laughed, until Melissa innocently piped up, "Who's Teal'c?"

The laughter stopped immediately, and for a few seconds, tense silence followed. Then, almost without missing a beat, Sam chuckled.

"'Teal'c' is just an old nickname Murray got while he was in the Academy," she explained. "But he refuses to tell us what it means."

Vala and Cassie laughed nervously in concert, and Melissa nodded in understanding. "Yeah, my cousin is the same way. When he went through the academy, his call sign was 'Lovelorn,' and he hasn't lived it down ever since."

"Your cousin's an airman?" Sam asked.

"Oh yeah. He used to work in Cheyenne Mountain, until he was transferred to some international post in Australia."

At that information, Sam's ears pricked up. For some of the Atlantis contingent, a cover story with just that amount of obscure and illogical ambiguity had been used. "Really? I've worked at Cheyenne Mountain for about ten years," she said. "What's his name?"

"Evan Lorne," Melissa said. "He's a major, I think. Though he might be up for promotion in a few years. You know him?"

Sam merely nodded, and grinned at how small the galaxy could be sometimes. "Yeah, I do."


	2. Getting Warm

**Camping for Dummies, Part II**

Season: Ten

Gen, J/S, OC Pairing

Summary: Sam takes the kids back to her house for a night in with the team.

* * *

"Alright, who's up for some pizza!" Cameron bellowed from the front door, two boxes of the third option for dinner in his hands.

Sam clucked her teeth – a habit she'd gotten from Cassie – and sighed. "Ah, Cam!" she chided. "I told you we already had dinner covered. The guys should be back any minute."

Cameron shrugged and set the pizzas on the island beside Vala's eager form. "I know, I know. But when I heard how many people were coming, I thought it might be good to have some options."

As she opened the box, swiped a piece and took a bite, Vala grinned. "We're having Thai and Italian."

"Yuck!" Cameron cried. "Whose idea was that?"

Sam rolled her eyes and closed the box back. "Not together. But we did want a variety."

"Mm, that's good, Cam," Vala crowed. "Good choice!"

Shooting Sam a victorious look, Cameron smiled and headed to the fridge. "You got any beer, Sam?"

"Whatever's in there," Sam replied. "I think there might be some - "

" – Guinness," Cameron finished with the aforementioned beverage in hand, his eyebrow raised suspiciously. "I thought you didn't like this stuff."

Sam opened her mouth to reply, but was promptly – and luckily – interrupted by Daniel and Teal'c's entrance.

"Hello!" Daniel called from the front door. "We come bearing dinner!"

Sam, Cameron and Vala met them at the door and grabbed what extra bags they could, while Daniel and Teal'c looked around. After scanning the room, Daniel turned to them. "Where are the kids?" he asked.

"Cassie's in my shower, Melissa's in the guest shower, the guys are on the porch," Sam answered.

"Avoiding you?" Daniel asked with a grin.

Sam nodded. "Avoiding me."

Setting his bags down on the counter, Teal'c glanced at the boxes of pizza and raised an eyebrow in contemplation. "I do not blame them for their discomfort," he said simply.

Daniel and Sam shared a look before staring back at Teal'c. Placing a hand on her hip, Sam tilted her head and frowned. "Are you defending them, Teal'c?"

Teal'c simply bowed his head and turned away from the counter. "I shall ascertain the source of their concerns," he said. "However, I would not recommend assuming that you are guiltless, Colonel Carter."

And with that, he proceeded to the backyard porch.

The others stared after him for a moment, before Cameron and Vala shrugged and went back to unpacking their dinner. Daniel smirked at Sam's perturbed expression. "Well, Teal'c is nothing if not loyal."

"Oh please," Sam scoffed. "He just likes Nyan because he saved his life."

"And ours," Daniel added.

"Yeah, yeah," she muttered cheekily as she fished out the pasta.

After a moment of comfortable silence, Cameron glanced around at the four of them and smiled as he set down a box of noodles. "This is nice," he said. "The five of us hanging out with four angsty, college kids warring with hormones and self-doubt. This is great, isn't it?"

"Define 'great,'" Daniel countered.

Not taken aback by the challenge, Cameron merely took out another box. "You know, there was a time when I thought we'd never be comfortable enough with each other to do this on a regular basis. You guys know what I mean?"

Sam surreptitiously glanced at Daniel and Vala before she turned back to Cameron and smiled tightly. "No, no we don't. What do you mean?"

"Well, I just mean there were some rough patches in the beginning. We weren't exactly, I dunno, gelling as much as I thought we should've been." Cameron waved his hand in the air dismissively. "Never mind. Forget I said anything."

Once more, before the others could reply, they were interrupted by Cassie and Melissa, who were looking much fresher and happier after their showers and a change into some sweatpants. Sam laughed and wrapped her arm around Cassie's shoulder. "Well, you look much better."

"Oh, thanks!" Cassie replied as she rolled her eyes.

"I don't know," Vala observed. "The Drowned Rat look is rather fetching."

Extending her hand out to touch Melissa on the shoulder, Sam began introductions, "Melissa, this is Cameron and Daniel. They work with Vala and me at Cheyenne Mountain as well. And Cameron, you've met Cassie before."

"Oh yeah!" Cameron nodded as he shook both of their hands. "I think it must've been a few months ago or so."

Cassie smiled and nodded. "Yep."

"Well, it's nice to meet you," Daniel said to Melissa. "How did you get mixed up with this motley crew?"

Melissa chuckled. "You know, Sam asked me the same question! Is there something about these guys I don't know? Other than the fact that they seem to have a knack for getting into trouble?"

Vala nodded vigorously and placed a hand on Melissa's shoulder. "Oh, I'm sure there's loads of stuff you don't know about those three."

That earned her four simultaneous glares and a kick in the ankle from Cameron. Melissa, oblivious to the expressions, merely laughed again. "I think I definitely have a lot to learn. But Cassie and the guys have been really great, so I'm willing to get into more trouble if it's necessary."

"Well, you might want to wait a while before you make that kinda commitment," Cassie quipped.

At that, the two young men who'd been conspicuously absent from all socializing, made their way back into the house, with Teal'c right on their heels. By the look on his face and the speed at which the guys were walking, it looked like he was poking them with a cattle prod.

"It appears the showers have been vacated," Teal'c announced.

"Yep, so it does," John replied with a roll of his eyes. The two guys nodded to the group, before heading back to the guest bathroom with their backpacks.

"Hurry back though!" Sam called despite her ire with them. "You don't want your food to get cold!"

Cameron smirked and gently elbowed Sam in the side. "You are such a mom."

"Am not," Sam returned without looking at him.

"Are too," Cameron and Cassie replied in unison.

Shooting them a look, Sam glanced up at Teal'c. "Murray, this is Melissa. Melissa, this is Murray."

"Nice to meet you," Melissa greeted with a nod.

"Likewise," Teal'c said with a bow. "It is a pleasure to meet a friend of Cassandra Frasier's."

"Oh, and by the way," Sam noted cryptically, "we accidentally let your call sign from the Academy slip."

Teal'c blinked once as the information clicked, and nodded towards Melissa with another serene smile. "I see."

Melissa grinned as she and Cassie grabbed a piece of pizza and some Thai. "Don't worry! I won't ask you what it means!"

Nodding, Teal'c intoned as sincerely and seriously as he could muster, "Of that I am most grateful."

* * *

The rain had picked up again outside, coming down harder and faster than it had that afternoon. Teal'c, Daniel and Cameron had made it a point of spending some time with John and Nyan, who had made a notable effort to be more sociable. As a result, the five of them had gathered some chairs, and broken camp on the porch. 

On the other hand, Vala and Cassie were being subjected to Scientific Torture, after Melissa had mentioned a test she had to study for the following week. Sam had casually asked what kind of test in passing, and as soon as she heard the words, "Hertzprung-Russell diagram," the conversation quickly evolved (or fell apart, in Cassie and Vala's opinion) from there.

Finally, having had enough of the technospeak, Vala turned to Cassie, placed a hand lightly on her arm, and beckoned her into the kitchen. Once they were safe there, out of earshot, she grinned. "So, about you and Nyan…"

"Oh no." Cassie slapped her head and winced. "Not you, too!"

"No, not me!" Vala assured. "Listen, Sam told me all about the little… talk… that she had with Nyan last weekend. She said it went well?"

"If by 'well', you mean, 'she scared the pants off of him with her line of questioning,' then yes! Yes, it went well!" Cassie sighed. "We honestly were not even… I mean, I hadn't even thought of him like… And then Daniel and Teal'c started making a big deal about it, Jack egged Sam on, and… Well, let's just say that Sunday brunch with Nyan was memorable, to say the least." Cassie rolled her eyes. "The guys certainly thought it was funny. I just don't know why she bothered, ya know? I've dated a few guys since I started college, and they never got that kind of treatment."

After a brief pause, Vala said, "Listen, I don't know much about your relationship with Sam, but I do know that there are times when we're off duty on the base, and she can't stop talking about you: 'Cassie's graduating in a year,' 'Cassie's volunteering at that hospital,' 'Oh, that reminds me, I need to call Cassie tonight!'"

Momentarily shocked beyond words, the young college girl's mouth fell open slightly. She knew that Sam loved her, there was no doubt about that. But she hadn't realized the depths… Or maybe she hadn't acknowledged them. Sighing, Cassie closed her eyes.

"I always thought that Sam felt obligated to protect me, to watch over me after my mom died." She looked up at the slim brunette and shrugged. "I don't know why I didn't believe that she did those things because she actually cares. I think I must've been in denial. She always said that she could and would never try to replace my mom…"

Vala glanced into the living room while Sam spoke animatedly with the younger blonde. "But you want her to?"

"No! No…" Cassie shook her head and shrugged again. "I just… I really need her in my life. I always have. But I know she's really busy right now, what with everything that's going on at the SGC - "

"No." Vala shook her head and held up her hand. "Nothing is more important to Sam than you. Surely you must know that?"

"I don't know." Cassie gazed at Sam, catching her quick, curious glance in their direction. "The SGC is her life. It's what's always satisfied her, made her complete… I've never felt right asking her to choose me over that. I did it last year, and… I just felt so bad."

"I don't think Sam would feel right if she knew you needed her again and didn't ask, Cassandra," Vala replied.

"I'm sure she just wanted to make sure she'd done her part with Nyan," Cassie said, abruptly bringing it back to a safer subject. "I half-expected Jack to do it, but he was just sitting there, grinning the whole time like Daniel. Teal'c, oddly enough, was the only one who wasn't amused."

"I'm sure Sam just wants to know that you're gonna be OK," Vala offered. "And I'm sure she won't do that again. The guys gave her quite a bit of grief for it! As for Nyan, well he seems like a good guy. I'm sure he'll understand why she gave him the third grade, given time."

Cassie chuckled and raised an eyebrow at Vala's misspeak. "You mean, 'third degree?'"

"Yes, that's what I said," Vala responded with a smirk. As she looked into the living room, she caught Sam's glance once more lingering on the two of them, and she smiled brightly. Sam smiled back, not sure what to think.

"So you'd really come and speak to my class?" Melissa asked Sam eagerly. "I'm sure my professor would love it!"

Bringing her attention back to the bright young woman before her, Sam nodded. "I'd love to. I just have to clear it with my superiors first."

"Oh, of course!" Melissa nodded and looked around the room. Catching sight of the pictures on the mantle, she suddenly jumped up to take a closer peek.

Sam remembered having that boundless amount of energy, but she was pretty sure she'd lost it along the way about five years ago. The truth was, she was seriously considering recommending Melissa for a job at the SGC once she graduated, but something was nagging at her to never mention the girl's name.

Though she hated to admit it, the SGC was a soul-sucker, and while she had experienced the happiest times of her life because of it, she couldn't in her right mind subject any more bright, talented individuals to its deadly, albeit incredibly satisfying, clutches. It was bad enough Cassie had expressed an interest in working there.

Sad really. Sam felt almost traitorous with her line of thinking, but she couldn't help it.

"Wow!" Melissa said as she picked up a frame with a large group of people in it. "He looks just like John!"

Sam was up in a flash, her eyes wide as she approached Melissa at the mantle. "Oh…" she began tensely. "That's… John's dad."

"Spitting image," Melissa muttered. "John could be his younger clone!"

"Yep, that's what we always say!" Sam gently took the frame as Melissa offered it, and looked at the people in the picture. It had been taken at an awards ceremony six months prior, and SG-1 had brought along Jack and Cassie. Glancing at the hodge-podge group of seven people, Sam shook her head. Who knew they actually fit together? She certainly hadn't predicted it.

"Is this the whole 'motley crew?'" Melissa inquired with a grin. Sam looked up at her and nodded with a matching smile.

"It is. And, to be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way." With that, she set the frame down. "You know, looking at you and Cassie, I think I'm gonna change into some comfier clothes, too. I'll be right back."

Sam headed into the direction of her bedroom, leaving Melissa to observe the other photos. There were at least 15 pictures in all, each depicting a memorable moment or one of the unique individuals she'd met that evening. All at once, Melissa knew she was drawn to these people. She'd believed in kindred spirits, but she didn't realize that it was possible to feel such a connection to such a group. It was… oddly gratifying.

She turned around just as Vala and Cassie were making their way back into the living room. "Sam went to change into some more comfortable clothes."

Cassie turned to Vala. "You should, too, Vala. You know, make yourself at home."

Vala glanced down at her form-fitting attire and frowned. "But these i are /i my comfortable clothes."

Melissa nodded slowly, her eyes wide. "Oh."

Suddenly, gentle shuffling could be heard at the front door as something jostled near the door handle. The three women turned to the noise worriedly.

"Is Sam expecting anyone else?" Cassie asked quietly.

"No," Vala answered, suddenly on alert. "I think everyone who's supposed to be here i is /i here."

"Damn it," someone cursed loudly from outside, causing the women to jump slightly.

Clenching her fists, Vala slowly approached the door.

"What are you guys looking at?" John asked as he and the others filed inside from the backyard.

"Ssshhh!" The three of them ordered. John frowned and glanced back at the others.

"Vala!" Cameron hissed. "What's going on?"

"Someone's outside," Vala whispered as she pointed to the door.

"Oh for crying…" the muffled voice muttered. Then, "Guys! A little help? I can't find the damn key in the dark!"

Realization dawned on everyone but Melissa, as Vala quickly opened the door and Daniel rushed to greet the newcomer.

"Hey Jack!" Daniel said with a smile and a wave.

Peeking around their shoulders at the full house in front of him, Jack's face was a mixture of surprise and well-masked disappointment.

"Someone's havin' a party," he exclaimed jovially as he walked inside, his duffel bag slung over his shoulder. "I can see now why you guys were so insistent that I come."

"We weren't insistent," Daniel corrected. "We just - "

"We didn't want you to be left out!" Vala provided.

John was rolling his eyes as Jack smugly looked around the group, when his gaze fell on Melissa's somewhat shocked gaze. She was looking from Jack to John in amazement, and John felt his heartbeat quicken. Oh crap…

"Melissa, this is… Uncle Jack."

Melissa frowned and turned back to John, the spell broken. "Uncle? But Sam said he was your dad."

Teal'c cleared his throat and Nyan coughed. Wildly, John whipped his gaze from Melissa to Jack. "Uh…"

Sam chose that moment to appear, having found a T-shirt and some sweats to change into. As soon as she stepped back into the living room and saw what was going on, she knew there was going to be trouble.

Jack raised his head to meet her gaze, causing the rest to follow suit. Melissa, as oblivious as she'd been all afternoon, was beginning to realize that something was off.

"Carter," John uttered through gritted teeth, "Melissa says you told her that Uncle Jack here is my… i father /i ."

Sam had but a split second to react.

"Oh, John…" she feigned embarrassment and sympathy. "I'm so sorry. You weren't supposed to find out this way." She turned to Melissa. "It's my fault, really. I never should've said anything before I discussed it with John first. And Jack, of course."

Cameron groaned and plopped down on the couch. Vala slowly followed, enraptured by the show before her.

"But they look nearly identical," Melissa noted of Jack and John's likeness incredulously. "How could you i not /i know that he's your father, John?"

"Well, it turns out I have a brother," Jack stepped in, taking the absurd to a whole new level. "His name is Joe. But he… died several years ago. Sadly."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow and glanced at Sam, who merely shrugged. They really needed to work on a better cover story...

"Joe?" Melissa asked John. "You mean, your dad's name is Joe?"

John nodded weakly. "I… thought so…"

"Oh, dear God," Vala muttered. She'd seen enough soap operas to know that this was going dreadfully.

Mistaking Vala's skepticism for shock, Melissa nodded in understanding. "Oh… I see… I think."

"It was one night of passion," Daniel added, his eyes twinkling with barely contained glee. "Jack and John's mom didn't realize what they were doing - "

"John," Jack quickly cut off Daniel's description as he stiffly outstretched his arms, "It's true: I'm…your father."

John just stood there, not sure how he was supposed to react to such "news," and more than ready to wring both O'Neill and Carter's necks. He felt a tap on his arm, and knew instinctively that it was Melissa.

"Go on," she urged. Then, none too gently, she pushed him in Jack's direction. John had no choice but to hug him.

Behind him, he heard a genuine half-sniffle from Melissa, and various suspicious noises from the others. As he pressed his head over Jack's shoulder, he whispered, "You are _so_ dead."

Jack merely replied softly, "You first… son."


	3. A Chat

**Camping for Dummies, Part III**

Season: Ten

Gen, Jack/Sam, OC pairing

Summary: Jack and Sam chat.

* * *

When Jack all but begged Hayes to let him take the weekend off, saying he deserved it, he had not envisioned his weekend starting out like this. For one thing, when he'd last spoken with Carter from Dallas, she'd said she was on her way to pick up a stranded Cassie and some friends from some park. He'd disregarded the non sequitur of it all, and had proceeded to his connecting flight to Colorado Springs, never once imagining that those friends included his Not-Such-A-Runt-Anymore clone and Nyan.

Of course, he could've dealt with all of that, had he not had to claim said clone as his son, just to keep his non-cleared girlfriend from flipping out. He supposed finding out that one's significant other is really a clone would be a bit of a downer, so he didn't blame any of them for their censure.

Still… It was all way weirder than he wanted to think about.

He was sitting on Carter's deck, enjoying the cool and the quiet of the Springs air, when he suddenly felt a soft hand on his shoulder squeeze tightly and let go. The house was quiet. The kids had all camped out in the living room, Teal'c and Vala had hunkered down on Carter's computer in her office to play some i Witches with War-Sticks /i game, and Daniel and Mitchell were watching some movie in her bedroom – which just added, of course, to the immense weirdness of it all.

That left one other person. And she was currently chuckling slightly as she found a seat next to him.

"Aren't you glad you came?" Sam asked as she wrapped her sweatshirt tightly around herself.

"Yes," Jack answered without hesitation. "That kind of insanity keeps me on my toes, dontcha think? There are only so many brown-nosing politicians one can stand before it all gets kinda stale."

"Of course," Sam acquiesced to his griping.

"Of course," he agreed. "So…"

"So…" she repeated softly.

He opened his mouth, closed it, then smiled enigmatically. "Got any Guinness?"

"Cameron drank the last one," Sam replied with a shrug. "Sorry."

"Ah!"

"If you'd been one hour earlier…" Sam smiled again and turned slightly towards the yard. After a moment, she noted, "This is nice."

Jack glanced out at her drenched lawn, inhaled the fresh rain scent and nodded. "Yeah, it is. Peace and quiet."

"Oh…" Sam swallowed and her eyes fluttered with indecision. "I meant…"

Jack frowned. "What?"

"I meant… It's nice that we're all here together. As twisted as it all is… It fits."

Jack thought about that for a moment and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it does."

Silence reigned for a moment, as Jack thought about Cassie and John and Nyan, and how they had grown so close in such a short time. He thought about the young student, Melissa, who'd instantly reminded Cassie, Daniel and Teal'c of Carter, and he grinned. She was certainly a bubble of energy, eager to please, ready to serve… It was no wonder she practically followed Sam around the house, asking her seemingly inane questions about sub-atomic whatsits, all night long. Sam was just happy to talk to someone who understood it all.

The four of them certainly looked good together, he surmised. He pictured John in thirty years, and could obviously see himself. Cassie would grow up to be their equivalent to Daniel. Melissa would obviously be their Sam. Undeniably, Nyan would be their Teal'c.

Jack grinned to himself. Yeah, they'd certainly fit the mold.

"What's so funny?" Sam asked, catching his look.

Shrugging, Jack leaned forward and placed his elbows on the table. "I was just thinking about the kids…"

"Yeah, they're funny."

"They're us," Jack said simply.

Sam thought about it for only a moment, before he knew she understood what he meant.

"They are," she agreed. "Poor guys. They don't stand a chance."

Jack chuckled as he picked up the empty vase in the middle of the table and twirled it around. "Yeah… So, how are Cassie and Nyan?"

Sam didn't miss the neutral look he seemed to be giving her. Evidently he wasn't going to give her a hard time about last Sunday, even if he didn't agree with what she'd done. For some reason that she could not explain, it irritated her.

"They seem to be fine," she answered shortly.

Jack looked up when it became clear that she wasn't going to give him any more information. "What?" he asked.

"What?" she repeated. "I said they're fine."

"No, I heard that. I meant… the tone."

"Tone?" Sam asked dubiously.

"What are you, a parrot?" Jack demanded, his hackles rising. Then, quietly, "I just asked a simple question."

"Oh, but it wasn't what you asked," Sam clarified. "It's how you asked it."

Jack was at a loss. "What?!"

"Everyone, from Daniel to Teal'c to Cameron to Vala has given me a hard time for what I did to Nyan last Sunday. They either made a joke about it, or in Teal'c's case, flat out told me that they thought I was a little tough on him."

"I'm sorry, let me get this straight." Jack paused. "You want me to give you a hard time? For making sure Nyan, an older guy, had his priorities straight before he started dating Cassie?"

Sam thought about it for a moment, recognized its flaw, but nodded all the same. "Yes."

Jack scoffed. "You're nuts."

"I'm not nuts!" Sam insisted.

"Yeah," Jack reiterated. "You are."

Sam held up her hand and continued, "All I'm saying is, if you're not comfortable enough with me to tell me that you disagree with me, just like everybody else, I really don't see the point..."

Narrowing his eyes, Jack leaned forward even more. "The point in what, Sam?"

"In this," she replied, motioning between the two of them, "in trying to go any further than… what we've always been."

Jack sat back with a huff and rubbed his hand over his face. It amazed him sometimes how incredibly different Carter was from Sam. Carter was logical, calculating, confident; Sam was unsure and self-doubting.

He supposed the same could be said for the differences between O'Neill and Jack, but he opted not to go down that path.

"For the record," Jack muttered through his hand, "I don't disagree with you."

Sam frowned and tried to find his eyes between his fingers. "You don't?"

"No." Jack shook his head and let his hand fall. "Nyan's like, what? Seven or eight years older than Cassie? That's why I encouraged you to do it. I would've done it myself… But part of me wanted to see if you could."

Now it was Sam's turn to sit back. "Huh. That's… twisted."

"Hey, it's me we're talking about here," Jack replied.

"True." Sam raised an eyebrow with a smirk and sighed. "So, you weren't just censoring yourself in order to avoid a fight?"

"No!" Jack cried. "And look: The fight still found me!"

Sam muttered, "Sorry," and scooted closer, leaning her head against her hand. After a moment of silence, she broached the other issue that had been on her mind all evening. "We need to talk to John more. Teal'c's the only one who's treated him well over the past three and a half years."

"Mm..." Jack wasn't convinced as he drew an imaginary dog on the table with his finger.

Sam shook her head as she thought about it even more. "When he first left the base, I told myself that I would check up on him every once in a while. You know, just to make sure he was doing OK."

Jack shrugged and kept his glance straight ahead. "We got busy. It happens."

"But… Jack." Sam moved so she was in his line of sight. "Jack… How would you have felt had we thrown you into a whole new environment, alone, and rarely – if ever – checked to see how you were doing?"

Turning his gaze to her, Jack said, "Sam, that's what Teal'c and Cassie are for. We can keep tabs on the guy through them. If it'd been me, I would've wanted to keep to myself, and stay as far away from you guys as possible. Especially you and Daniel."

Keeping her face free of expression, Sam asked, "Why me and Daniel?"

"Because you guys ask too many questions, serious questions, the kinds of questions that'd make a guy feel even worse about the situation." He noted her silence and tried to explain, "It's nothing bad, necessarily… That's just how you guys are. But you gotta understand, the kid was probably feeling bad enough about the situation as it was. If you guys were always calling him, writing him letters, sending him emails, and asking him personal questions about his 'feelings', I think he would've had an even harder time getting over his loss... Ya know what I mean?"

Sam nodded. "Yes. But doesn't that mean he wouldn't have had to get over his loss, if he knew we were there for him when he needed us?"

"Sam, come on now." Jack shook his head once more. "Let's get real. Things were never gonna be the same with us. Thinking about the 'what ifs' now is pointless."

Sam folded her arms and lifted her chin indignantly. "Well, I think it's easy to say that when you're not the one who was left behind."

"Maybe so, but I can tell you right now that John hasn't lost any sleep over the fact that you forgot to drop him a line for three years." Jack jabbed a thumb in the direction of the living room. "If anything, he's probably been better off for it. It's less painful that way."

Frowning, Sam fixed her eyes on Jack's and tilted her head. "I'm confused: Are you trying to convince me, Jack? Or yourself?"


	4. The Next Morning

The next morning found Sam's house in utter disarray. She'd woken up at 6, her conversation with Jack – the first heart-to-heart they'd had in a long time – still on her mind. She'd made it to her bed that evening, but had had to snuggle on the edge next to Vala and Cameron… Teal'c and Daniel had claimed the guest room, while Jack slept in Cassie's. She couldn't believe they all fit. She couldn't believe any of it really.

If she'd thought her life was odd three years ago, nothing had prepared her for this level of weirdness.

As she walked through the halls, her bare feet cold from the morning chill, she wondered how things had ended up this way. If someone had told her a year before that one evening she'd have to fight for blanket space in her own bed because Vala and Cameron were hogging it all, she never would have believed them…

In fact, she would've said they were crazy.

The reality of the situation was, Sam was ready for a change. She'd spent 10 years of her life dedicated to serving her country and her planet. Lately, she hadn't bothered to descend into the sort of pity party that she had dwelled in years before. Back then, she would silently lament about her sacrifices, albeit briefly, as she justified her feelings of emptiness.

It wasn't that she'd never been happy. However Sam could not deny that she'd spent a good portion of her life feeling somewhat unfulfilled. And while her dad, Daniel, Jack, Teal'c, Janet and Cassie had played an incredibly important part in filling those gaping holes, she had had to deny herself quite a bit along the way. They all had, to be fair.

Family had a fluid meaning to her. She'd decided three years before that she was going to take the opportunity to have a nuclear family, the kind of family that would kiss her goodbye in the mornings and excitedly greet her at night. Pete had been that one opportunity, and, true to form, she had squandered it.

So she'd wanted kids. She could admit it in her head, and very briefly in passing in front of the guys, when it looked like they might not question her or try to read too much into it. But that opportunity had long since gone - before Nirrti, before Conrad, before she was killed and revived numerous times, and even before Jolinar.

The truth was, if Sam was honest with herself, that opportunity dissipated as soon as she signed her life away to the Stargate program.

Which left her here. With her family. Without Janet. And with Jack, left to discuss how they would continue to love and foster Cassie in her absence. Before, during Pete and after Janet's death, Sam convinced herself that Janet had done all the work, and that any contribution she could make would be moot. Yet here she was, wondering if there was still more to do for Cassie, still needs to be met.

Enter Jack and his equal stake in Cassie's future. Enter Daniel and Teal'c, who would also do whatever was necessary to ensure Cassie's safety and happiness.

And perhaps the opportunity wasn't completely gone.

Only now, instead of raising a child from infancy with one man, she would continue caring for a young woman with three.

For some strange reason, Sam found this arrangement to be quite acceptable.

The kitchen was dark, but she could still see the hunched over figure making coffee. Or trying, at least.

"Daniel?" she croaked. "What are you doing up so early?"

Daniel whirled around, an empty mug in hand. "I could ask you the same question." He looked back at the coffee machine and frowned. "Why is that so complicated?"

Laughing slightly, Sam walked over and turned the coffee maker on. "It's not."

Daniel pouted and sighed as he cracked his back. "Yeah, right... You know Teal'c is a blanket hog?"

"No, I never would've guessed that," Sam deadpanned sarcastically. "But so are Vala and Cameron."

Raising an eyebrow, Daniel glanced up at her. "You, Vala and Cameron shared a bed?"

"Hey, it was my bed," Sam replied as she grabbed a mug out of her cupboard. "And by the time I got there, they were asleep. I didn't have the heart to wake them up and kick them out, which is what I wanted to do."

Daniel narrowed his eyes and smirked. "Oh yeah, you and Jack were the only ones awake after we all went to sleep."

"Oh, bite me, Daniel," Sam ordered, though her eyes revealed her mirth.

Daniel laughed and glanced up as Cameron stretched and walked into the kitchen, closely followed by a well-rested Teal'c.

"Man, I slept good last night," Cameron announced as he swiped Sam's mug off the counter.

"Sshhh!" Daniel and Sam whispered, indicating the kids in the other room.

"Oooh, sorry!" Cam whispered. "Anyway, that is one helluva bed you've got there, Sam."

"Yeah, thanks, it's new," she replied smugly. "I'm glad you and Vala enjoyed it."

"Oh, don't remind me!" Cameron rolled his eyes. "That woman is SUCH a blanket hog."

Sam nodded blankly. "Tell me about it."

"I heard that!" Vala cried as she practically stormed into the kitchen.

"Ssshhh!" Daniel, Sam and Cameron hushed in tandem. Teal'c merely blinked before helping himself to a mug in the cupboard.

"Sorry!" Vala whispered. "And I am not a blanket hog!"

"Riiight," Cameron retorted, shooting Sam a knowing look. Sam simply rolled her eyes and shot both Daniel and Teal'c a knowing look of her own.

"Actually Sam," Vala began as she snatched Daniel's mug from his hands, "I was a bit surprised to find that you came to bed with us." She waggled her eyebrows and grinned.

"You know Vala, when you say, 'came to bed with us,' it almost makes me a little sick," Cameron told her.

Sam and Vala both shot him dirty looks for that remark. Then Vala turned back to Sam and smiled, "But no, really. No one would've minded!"

"The only available bed was in Cassie's room," Sam explained. Daniel coughed, having not expected her to qualify why she and Jack hadn't… He gulped and glanced at Cameron, who looked just as surprised.

"So?" Vala asked. "She wouldn't have cared. She's young! She'd understand."

"Probably not," Sam replied, squirming slightly under their collective gaze. Even Teal'c seemed to be looking at her funny.

"You know, Sam," Cameron said, suddenly enjoying her discomfort, "Vala does have a point."

"What?" Sam turned to Cameron in disbelief, shocked that he'd agree to something so asinine.

"Uh, yeah," Daniel said with a nod of his head as he followed Cam's lead. "I think so, too."

"Daniel!" Sam hissed, her eyes widening. "This is ridiculous. I'm not having this conversation with you guys."

Teal'c turned to Sam and placed his cup on the counter thoughtfully, his lips turned ever so slightly upwards. "Is copulation not common and indeed healthy in such intimate relationships?"

"That's it," Sam declared as she held her finger over the ON/OFF button of the coffee machine. "One more word, and no coffee. For any of you."

"Hey, hey, hey," Vala cried. "There's no need to be rash."

Daniel motioned apologetically. "Yeah, Sam, we're just saying…"

"Just saying what?" Jack asked from across the kitchen.

"Nothing," Daniel, Vala and Cameron replied in unison, before they each guiltily turned towards the coffeemaker. Only Sam and Teal'c remained facing Jack.

He frowned. "Did I miss something."

"No," Sam assured, her expression bleak. "Trust me."

Teal'c bowed his head. "You have indeed arrived in time for the morning beverage." If Sam didn't know any better, it seemed he was smirking her way. That little…

"Good!" Jack said. "What's on?"

"House blend," Daniel replied, his back still to Jack as he fumbled with some Splenda packets.

Taking a quick look back at the silent living room, Jack grinned. "So they haven't roused yet?"

"Not that I know of," Sam said absently as she fished the through cupboard for more mugs. She wasn't sure if she had enough…

"Mitchell," Jack called to the younger man's back.

"Uh, yes, General, sir," Cameron answered as he quickly spun around and straightened. "What can I do for you, sir?"

Jack paused to eye the man's guilty stance and decided that he'd allow the 'sirs' for now. "You know how to make eggs benedict?"

Cameron slowly shook his head.

"Oh!" Vala's hand shot up in the air eagerly. "I do!"

"Really?" Jack was skeptical.

Vala smiled impishly and shrugged. "I may have learned a thing or two about certain Tau'ri cuisine during my time with the SGC's commissary personnel."

Jack's eyes narrowed and he sighed. "Why does that not surprise me?"

"I'm sorry," Daniel cut in, "let me understand this: Not only have we managed to sort of invade Sam's house amongst Cassie and her friends, overstay our welcome, and quite possibly thoroughly exhaust her entire caffeine supply, but we're also going to cook breakfast here as well?"

"Daniel, it's OK," Sam reassured. "Really."

"Are ya sure?" Daniel asked. "Because there's an IHOP just down the street."

"Mmm, IHOP?" Vala exclaimed. "I love IHOP!"

"There ya go." Cameron indicated Vala's excitement.

Sam opened her mouth to gently confirm her permission, but not before Jack interrupted with a flick of his wrist. "Nonsense. We'll all eat here. Vala, you're on eggs duty."

Vala saluted dutifully – and sloppily – before heading for the fridge. "Yes, sir."

Jack pointed to Teal'c. "T, we all know you can make a mean pancake."

"I can," Teal'c confirmed, as he headed for the cupboard, though he was at a loss as to how Jack could be so sure that Sam had the necessary ingredients. Sure enough, an open box of mix was there in plain view on the middle shelf. Teal'c raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Neither Sam nor Cassie ever made pancakes if Teal'c wasn't there. As far as he knew.

"Daniel," Jack ordered, "you've got… coffee duty."

Daniel raised an eyebrow and nodded briefly, shifting his gaze from Sam to Jack. "Er… OK."

"Mitchell?" Jack turned to Cameron, wondering where he could put the uneasy colonel. "You good with meat?"

"Uh… absolutely, sir," Cameron answered awkwardly.

Jack nodded. "Good. You get the sausages and bacon. In the freezer door, top shelf." With that, Jack turned around, through with giving commands for now.

"Uh…" Sam piped up above the increasing din. "What do I get to do?"

Wincing slightly, Jack turned around and smiled awkwardly. There was no way he was letting her near the food. "As the hostess… You get to relax. And you can wake up the kids when it's all done."

He didn't miss the look on her face when she instantly realized that he wasn't going to give her something important to do, but he ignored it as he headed back to the bedrooms. He'd dropped off his duffel somewhere the night before, and it was only a matter of finding it amongst all of the crap…

As he passed Sam's room, he saw it along the wall, unmoved. "Ah!" Bending down to pick it up, Jack saw a shadow pass over him. He straightened, knowing it was her without having to turn around. "You know, it was nothing personal, Carter."

"Of course not," she agreed sardonically from behind. Jack couldn't see her face. "You just didn't want anyone to get food poisoning. Understandable."

Slowly he turned around, realizing immediately that they were completely out of sight for only the second time since his arrival. He also didn't fail to notice that they were mere feet away from her bedroom. Jack caught the look of realization as it hit her as well, and stifled a grin. "Is there anything else?" he inquired. 

Sam shook her head numbly and almost whispered, "No."

"Are we good?" he asked. "After last night, I mean?"

She nodded, seemingly a million miles away as if deep in thought. "It's OK if we disagree on something. We've been doing that well enough for 10 years."

He didn't respond, too focused on that odd look in her eye to continue. She seemed to be coming to some sort of conclusion, yet her gaze was intensely focused on his own, her eyes boring a hole into his soul.

Then, as quickly as it came, the moment passed, and she simply stared at him with that same indulgent look on her face that he'd long since come to appreciate. It had taken her nearly a decade to perfect it, and he'd loved every variation of it along the way.

"So, you've already commanded my teammates to completely destroy my kitchen," Sam recounted softly, a twinkle forming in her eye even as she feigned annoyance. "What else do you have planned for today?"

"Oh, I don't know," Jack replied with a shrug, coming to a realization of his own. "I was thinking we could all pile into a couple of cars and head out to Pike National Park. The sky's clear, and we've gotta pick up the kids' car anyway… Plus, it's a great day for fishing."


End file.
